Is there a differnce between excessive gore and excessive sexual imagery

[Chronitis]

I was pondering this question earlier and was wondering what you think. I don't plan to add theses subject matters in any of my current work. But I'd like to know? Why is seeing gruesome deaths okay but seeing a nip slip or man's bulge seen as... inhumane?

[darkone4587]

It's honestly just up to culture and how you were personally raised. It's just that a lot of Western culture is built up upon religious works that push sexuality out, but also easily accept violence. The same could be said for Easter cultures, but their more okay with sexual content than the West.

[zigmenthotep]

As said, it's mainly up to Abrahamic views on sex (and particularly the female body) that are common in western cultures. Which is why, for example, there have only been like 3 video games rated AO by the ESRB exclusively for violence. Although, it is worth noting that some countries (Australia and Germany off the top of my head) have taken a stronger stance against violence in media.
Interestingly enough, if you look at the history of Japanese media they've been adapting western standards to appeal more to westerners since the Meji period.

[Chronitis]

Thank you both for enlightening me on the subject matter. I just fine myself felling quite fatigue at the fact that many sexual themes are watered down from a place like Japan to the west. I understand everyone has their own ideas and beliefs but I can help but wonder if we'll ever shift to a more leveled way of thinking when it comes to seeing decapitation apposed to seeing someone where short shorts.

[joe_galindez]

Most societies are prepared for the streets to overflow with blood. Not many are prepared for them to overflow with . . . other fluids.

Another contributing factor is that fictional violence is fake, and therefore more acceptable than the real thing, while sex in fiction can be real and uncompromising.

EDIT: I mean, fictional violence would probably be just as controversial if it was produced to the same standards of authenticity as hardcore porn. Like, we seldom see realistic swordfights because those could be truly messy. We're talking scary-movie levels of blood and body horror.

[ISNEKO]

Those other fluids tho.

[keii4ii]

I would like to add: Japan does NOT represent every Asian country! What's okay by U.S. standards may be considered way too sexual for all-ages viewing in some parts of Asia. It's also more complex than just "how prude/not prude are they." e.g. In some cultures, showing skin is fine, but they may be much more sensitive about touching/displays of affection.

[indagold]

Am I the only one who doesn't like excessive sexual imagery? Half of the time its in poor taste, blatant sexualization or shouldn't even be there. I don't think its being "prudish or repressed" most people feel uncomfortable while seeing sex scenes because of the erotic nature in an otherwise non erotic movie. Last thing you want to do is pop a boner with grandma in the room. It pisses me off when people are like "you don't want to see gore? that's fine. Sex? What are you? Some sort of christian mom?"

[joe_galindez]

Yeah, it ruins the tone. It's why I don't have sex scenes in my serious work. I might show events leading up to them, maybe the aftermath, but hardcore humpin' has no place in my dark epic fantasy.

And generally speaking, it's really hard to mix sex in with even a semi-serious narrative. It tends to derail the plot. Like, most Heavy Metal stories don't stand up as actual stories. The good ones are either blatant about being porn (and no longer aspire to being literature) or they make sex a central part of the narrative.

[NickRowler]

Nip slips are not really excessive. Nips are not really that sexual, heck nudity is not really sexual, it is more the situation which makes it sexual. Kirikou and the Sorceress is a french film which contains bare breasts and nudity however the story is appropriate for children. The film never had a proper release in the US because of the nudity. The US is strict about that stuff but other countries don't always censor that stuff.

I also don't think people are OK with gore. Look at how much people go out of their way to censor blood in media or how action films like Spiderman Homecoming barely showed a drop of blood.

I do agree I find it weird when a video game with sex makes it AO and it gets a really restricted release. Yet Mortal Combat is OK to put on the shelf next to Mario.

[Chronitis]

What other fluids... Gasoline? Why are people no uncomfortable around gasoline? Is it the smell, do they want a Eco friendly car?

[joe_galindez]

We are talking about our precious bodily fluids, Mandrake.

[Chronitis]

So you're saying you neither enjoy excessive gore or excessive sexy scenes? I'm sorry if you felt as though I was attacking your way of thinking in anyway. I was just wondering how mountains of blood can be okay but nudity cannot? though I must remember a lot of things that are allowed in films and TV shows now, weren't back in the olden times. People curse, more raveling or tighter clothing is allowed to be viewed by anyone, I now think that generally people become more comfortable with the human body with each generation.

Your opinion is a valid as mine and I am glad you feel strongly about it the way you do.

[Chronitis]

to me personally it can never ruin a tone because it's part of life (some more than others) and i deem it not foul play to witness or construct it into a narrative. It cannot be seen as porn, for porn has no story.

[Chronitis]

Mario needs more blood an gore to appeal to the youth of today

[joe_galindez]

@Chronitis you can reply to multiple people in the same post this way.

It cannot be seen as porn, for porn has no story.

Porn can have a story, but there doesn't tend to be much literary value in it.

to me personally it can never ruin a tone because it's part of life (some more than others) and i deem it not foul play to witness or construct it into a narrative.

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[indagold]

What...?? that's not what i'm saying and i'm not arguing with you, I just hate people who think excessive sex should be the norm and not wanting it makes you a prude when there's valid reasons of not including it. it's a mentality I see online that people think that hypersexualization/excessive sexual imagery = positive views on sex when its not and that's its somehow better than violence.

[Twoony]

I think it has more to do with a person than anything else. If there's a story that has an excessive amount of sex it's no longer a story, it's just a porn. I think sex should be used only when it helps enhance a scene, feeling or pushes along character development. Gore is the same way, why have a bloody scene in a story that isn't geared towards a genre that needs it? If you have a horror or a realistic historical fiction then gore is probably necessary to make things believable but say you have a romance or comedy, why have it? It doesn't work, if that makes sense.

I actually think both of them are pretty even. As a writer, I'm constantly reading comments about people wanting really vulgar acts done between characters or requesting detailed sex scenes so...sexual imagery is definitely being more accepted now than it was before. Culture has a lot to do with it too but since I'm from the U.S. it's kinda more people oriented I feel.

[Chronitis]

I see sorry. I misunderstood.

[Chronitis]

Wait I just thought of one last question. Would having characters who have offspring count as sexual content?